The other day, there was a question over at Lovely Timmins on Facebook that asked, "What would you change about Timmins?" Boy, I thought, lots! I've always griped that this city is too far from the other half of the province known at Toronto..er, Southern Ontario. Because, we Northerners (and by Northerners I mean anyone living north of North Bay) know that Toronto, er, Southern Ontario is where it's all going on. Right?
For example. I teach Highland Dance and until recent years, my competitors had to travel 8 hrs south to attend competitions and highland games. That's changing a wee bit as Sudbury now has a highland games, which I help organize, and Timmins has a small competition (which I solely organize - call me nuts). So attending these great events throughout the province requires dance parents to take one day off work for travel, incur travelling expenses, and the uttering of hopes and prayers that their dancer places well to make the journey worthwhile. Those that undertake this mission are gold in my eyes. Especially when you know that they are giving up their own free time to support their dancer in their goals to win.
Then, of course there is the shopping. Timmins really doesn't have much of it. We have the usual box stores full of the generic. We have shopping envy. I once walked through Yorkdale and left nose imprints at the Louis store. The BCBG Max Azaria store took one look at the way I was dressed, closed the lights, shut the doors and hid behind the counter. I guess my "George" from Walmart identified me as a revenue risk. I've never seen so many well dressed people that weren't going to a wedding. That took shopping to a whole new level. Especially when I am guilty of the 10:00 p.m. run to Walmart in my pj's to get milk for the next day.
It seems that there are tonnes of events to go to in the deep "South" as well. We get the tv programming with the ads of this concert here, that musical there, so-and-so will be speaking at this location, and did you know they were displaying that thingamajig over at whatsitcalled? We do have events here. I just believe that they aren't supported enough. Timmins has a symphony, the Shania Twain Centre, dance exhibitions, concerts, and we even got the Trailer Park Boys and Alice Cooper to put on a show. Ok, so it does need some development. Which is one of the reasons I am getting more involved on a local level (a.k.a. The Great Canadian Kayak Challenge & Festival's event for Heart and Stroke). I am of the opinion if you don't like it do something to change it. There is the usual outdoors activities for all to participate in, like RibFest, use of local parks, skating, bowling, going to the cinema (or the "show" as it's known here), which makes Timmins just like any other community.
I love the fact that I am at work in under 10 minutes. A drive that takes me from a country/urban setting, into the "heart" of the city. A traffic jam is usually caused by a logging truck taking it's sweet ass time to navigate a left hand turn on Algonquin, and the longest wait for anything is at the line up at Timmies (Tim Horton's). I can walk into any store and am pretty much guaranteed to know someone who either works there, or is shopping there. And, I still get excited when someone says, "Roadtrip - let's go to T.O.!"
I am happy that I have raised our three children in the North. I am not knocking anywhere else. I just feel that there is a different "flavour" to the education system up here. It's one that is respectful of First Nations when students are pulled for the hunt in the fall. Or understands that some kids will be absent for a hockey tournament. It's easy to establish a relationship with the teachers and staff because the "small-town" atmosphere. We are pretty lucky that way. There's no gangs here, not to say the area doesn't have it's share of drug issues, but you know who's doing what and who to avoid.
What would I change? Lots. Will I be part of the change equation? As much as my family will let me. And that change does start on the home front. Hmmm thinking we should check out the STC over March Break...I wonder what pair of Shania's shoes are on display this month?
No comments:
Post a Comment